Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe vs Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Comparison + Camera Review

Taking another round in comparison the Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe. This time, it is put side by side to the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. With the same premium styling for a lesser price, is the Zenfone 3 Deluxe any better than the more expensive water resistant phablet of Samsung? We cover the camera, performance, battery and more in this comparison to find out the answer.

• Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe Review
• Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Review
• iPhone 7 Plus vs Zenfone 3 Deluxe

Design and build

The obvious difference between the flagship of Asus to the flagship of Samsung is the missing waterproofing and stylus feature on the former. However, the solid all-metal build makes up for the lack of such features on the Deluxe. Additionally, Asus touts the invisible antenna lines on their flagship which actually creates a better sight when looking at the phone.

For Galaxy Note 7, the overall flashy design known for Samsung is noticeably present here. The tapered edges of the back and display do look standout over the flat panel of the Deluxe. Of course, the downside of this is that the Galaxy is more prone to cracks despite on Gorilla Glass 5 proofing.

Although both feature a snappy fingerprint scanner, the Galaxy edges out the Deluxe with its Iris scanner for unlocking using your eyes. It is a feature that needs getting used too but we’re hoping that Samsung will improve it over time.

Either device really feels great in the hands. The pure aluminum finish and slightly thinner profile on the Deluxe gives a good grip as to the glossy texture yet narrower footprint on the Galaxy Note 7.

If we were to pick the better package in design and build, it’s definitely the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, thanks to S-Pen and IP68 certification.

Display

Technically, the 5.7-inch curved QHD Super AMOLED display of the Galaxy Note 7 has more pixels in tow. The difference in sharpness level, however, is hardly noticeable when put beside the 5.7-inch FHD Super AMOLED of the Deluxe. Meanwhile overall color reproduction and brightness level are fairly the same on the two panels making this round a very close round.

Camera

The two cameras here have different processing techniques. What easily obvious on the 12MP Galaxy shooter are bright with great dynamic range but with paler photos over the natural looking shots from the 23MP camera of the Deluxe. The variations in details, on the other hand, won’t be easily recognized unless you will look at each photo closely.

On the night shooting, the Galaxy shooter has noticeably brighter output. But as expected it lacks the color vividness whereas the Deluxe retained the interesting elements here though a little bit soft at the detail preservation.

There’s a weird issue on the selfie camera of the Asus shooter when on beauty mode but nonetheless we like the crisp quality of the portrait shot is as to the bright Galaxy output.

In video mode, both record 4K and sport the optical image stabilization which is a helpful feature in reducing the unwanted movement when recording. Either way, the video quality on both cameras are top-class that reflects on their still prowess.

If you’re really looking for a great camera phone, either phone is a reliable shooter. So you guessed it, it’s a tie for this. But do let us know which camera do you prefer.

Performance

Although powered by the same Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor, the 6GB RAM combination on the Deluxe provides a higher benchmark score while actual speed is relatively close and even faster on the Note 7. The speed difference tells that the TouchWiz is slightly more optimized over the ZenUI. But overall, we’re looking at two great hardware here.

Battery

Despite the extra juice on the Samsung hardware, the battery life on both devices is average. Either phone last up to the whole day with moderate usage which equates from 4 to 4.5 hours screen on time.

On charging time, the Zenfone pulls ahead with 20 minutes faster in filling its 3000mAh juice from 0% to 100% over the bigger 3500mAh capacity on the Note.

Audio

The audio features on both are pretty similar. We have a loud and clear bottom-firing mono speaker on each with built-in high-res audio supporting accessories.

Pricing and Verdict

Although missing the water resistant and stylus features, the Asus has proven that they could put a good fight against other major brands like Samsung in the high-end category. For the Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe that’s priced lower at P34,995 or $700USD over the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 at about P40,000 or $800, it makes an easier choice for those consumers looking for a more affordable flagship device to go for the Asus offering. But on the other hand, the Galaxy Note 7 remains still a really solid choice for those who could afford the expensive pricing.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Asus Zenfone 3 Comparison + Video Review
https://apis.google.com/js/platform.js